The present invention relates to data retrieval systems generally and to data retrieval systems with co-presence mechanisms in particular.
Data retrieval systems are known in the art A typical one is shown in FIG. 1 to which reference is now made. Data retrieval systems typically consist of a data server 10 and multiple data-retrieval clients 12 which are typically separate computers. Upon command of a data-retrieval client 12, the data server 10 accesses a data repository 14, or database, that contains data objects 16 therein. Data objects 16 are typically files of information. The data-retrieval clients 12 also communicate with a user 17, typically through an interactive display 18.
A typical data retrieval operation, depicted in FIG. 2 to which reference is now made, proceeds as follows: upon receipt of an instruction (arrow 1) from the user 17 to retrieve a certain data object 16, the data-retrieval client 12 sends (arrow 2) a request to the data server 10 on which the object resides. The data server 10 retrieves the requested data object 16 (arrow 3) from the data repository 14 and sends the object 16 back (arrow 4) to the data-retrieval client 12. The data-retrieval client 12 then displays (arrow 5) the retrieved data object 16 to the user 17.
Additional features incorporated in a data retrieval system may include a data-management mechanism that allows a data-retrieval client 12 to create a new data object 16, to modify a retrieved data object 16 and to send the created or modified data object 16 back to the data server 10 for storage in the data repository 14, and a permission mechanism that allows the server 10 to approve or deny certain client requests.
Examples of data retrieval systems, some of which include the additional features, include the file transfer protocol (FTP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), Gopher and network file systems (NFS) standards, network news servers (NNTP), DEC Notes of Digital Electric Corporation of the USA, Lotus Notes of Lotus Inc. of the USA, Novell NetWare of Novell Inc. of the USA, and the relational database management systems (RDBMS) such as those manufactured by Oracle, Sybase, and Informix, all of the USA.
There is provided, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a data retrieval system including a data server, at least one data retrieval client and a co-presence server. The data server retrieves at least one data object from among a plurality of data objects stored in a data repository. Each data retrieval client requests at least one data object from the data server. The co-presence server includes a unit for generating one virtual place per data object retrieved from the data server, a unit for associating each virtual place with its data object once its data object is accessed and at least one downloadable co-presence client, operative with the data retrieval client, for communicating with the data server. Each co-presence client includes an object association unit for associating a data object received from the co-presence server with one of the at least one virtual places in the co-presence server.
Additionally, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the downloadable co-presence client is implemented in one of the following languages: Java and ActiveX.
Finally, the object association unit includes apparatus for moving to a new virtual place.